All of Us Strangers: LFF Film Review
Last year, Paul Mescal devastated people at LFF with Aftersun, and this year, he’s back to do the same with All of Us Strangers.
Andrew Haigh‘s drama, loosely based on Taichi Yamada‘s novel Strangers, follows lonely screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott), who strikes up a relationship with his mysterious neighbour Harry (Mescal), who seems to be one of the few people living in their London tower block. During this time, Adam pays a visit to his childhood home and discovers his dead parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) are inexplicably living there.
To say anything more would be unfair. Everything’s a spoiler from about 15 minutes in and I want you all to experience it like I did. I went into it knowing nothing about the plot and it floored me. I deeply related to Adam’s scenes with his parents and some of his conversations with his dad really resonated with me. If you have lost a parent, this will really hit home.
This film will also hit different if you are in the LGBTQ community. It delicately explores how attitudes to homosexuality have changed in the past 30 years. While society has progressed a long way, there is still more that needs to be done so LGBTQ people feel less shame and more acceptance.
The premise is very peculiar and it might take some time to wrap your head around it. It took me a while to get used to the idea but it works well and really pays off in the end. It does venture into predictable territory though so that robbed a particular revelation of its power. Many people bawled at the film, but I wasn’t so outwardly emotional. However, my eyes were glassy and I felt a knot in my chest that took a while to dissolve.
My heart broke for Adam thanks to Scott’s quietly shattering performance. His work is understated but powerful and I think this might be his best performance yet. He has incredible chemistry with Mescal’s Harry, who seems to be desperately lonely too.
All of Us Strangers is a hauntingly beautiful, poignant and emotionally devastating piece of cinema that made me grateful for my friends and family and all the human connections I have.
Seen at the London Film Festival. In cinemas from Friday 26th January 2024 and Disney+ from 20th March